Are you passionate about research? So are we! Come and join us

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) active in the fields of materials, environment and IT. By transforming scientific knowledge into technologies, smart data and tools, LIST empowers citizens in their choices, public authorities in their decisions and businesses in their strategies.

https://www.list.lu/

You will be part of the LIST Environmental Research and Innovation Department (ERIN)

The work of the ERIN Department tackles some of the major environmental challenges our society is facing today such as adaptation to climate change, ecosystem resilience, sustainable energy systems, efficient use of renewable resources, environmental pollution prevention and control. To this end, the mission of the ERIN department is:

(1) To conduct impact-driven scientific research and development, as well as technological innovation;

(2) To support companies in the implementation of new environmental regulations and advise governments on determining sustainable policies for the future, with the objectives of:

• Analysing, managing, and exploiting sustainable resources (water, air, soil, renewable energy, bioresources).
• Reducing the environmental impact of human consumption and production activities.

The selected applicant will join ERIN's Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) Unit which is developing knowledge, transferable (software) technologies and practical methods for the integrative evaluation and management of the sustainability of human driven systems. Its final purpose is to foster sustainable, technology driven eco-innovation in industry and to support sustainability-oriented policy making. Within the SUSTAIN Unit, the applicant will be part of the Environmental Policies group (EPS). The EPS group aims to contribute to the development towards a tox-free, circular and sustainable society via science-based support to the definition, implementation and evaluation of environmental policies at national and EU level (in particular policies around chemicals, (de)construction & waste, (industrial) installations, and soil) and regulatory support for RDI at the interface of science, technologies and policies. Typical outcomes of the group are (IT) tools, methods and guidelines for companies and authorities, regulatory-scientific expertise (given via opinions, reports, analyses, contribution of (EU) fora), helpdesk (high reactivity support) and knowledge transfer (events, platforms).

The EPS group is strongly involved in the implementation of the EU chemicals legislation, being national helpdesk for REACH, CLP and POPs, holding a seat in the Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and in OECD Working Parties and contributing to policy implementation projects (e.g. LIFE AskREACH). The candidate will further strengthen this activity by becoming a member of ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC, subject to the final confirmation by ECHA’s Management Board).

The competences built up in the regulatory activities of the group are fed into national and EU RDI projects and contribute to the SUSTAIN offer on sustainability assessment and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approaches. With its Environmental Health (EH), Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and EPS groups, SUSTAIN is able to cover all SSbD elements from regulatory and hazard assessment, human health, safety and environmental aspects of production, processing and use phase, and environmental, economic and social sustainability assessment. To this end, the successful candidate will contribute to the further development of the SUSTAIN activities on SSbD of substances, materials, products and processes with a special focus on the assessment of chemical safety and its regulatory aspects.

How will you contribute?

The candidate will:

• Become an active member of the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and support its role to assess risks of substances to human health and the environment in the REACH restriction and authorisation processes, Harmonised Classification and Labelling (CLP), and the evaluation of Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs, CMRD/CAD worker protection legislation). This counts for around 50% of the position and includes to serve as (co-) rapporteur for preparing the opinions of the Committee and to be active in the Working Groups of RAC.
• Make a link to the group’s SEAC member and the national REACH, CLP and POP Helpdesk
• Contribute to the development and implementation of RDI activities in sustainability assessment and SSbD, in the framework of European and national research projects and collaborative/contract research projects with industrial partners. To do so, collaborate with SUSTAIN colleagues specialised in life cycle sustainability and circularity assessment, (eco-)toxicology and regulatory aspects towards an integrated SSbD assessment
• Help to attract European and national funding via the submission of competitive research proposals
• Contribute case-by-case with her/his risk assessment competences to other policy and RDI projects

The nomination to ECHA RAC will be done by the Luxembourgish Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development (MECDD) and the ministry will be actively involved in the hiring process.

The successful candidate should show interdisciplinary thinking, well-developed communication skills (oral and written) and team spirit to successfully integrate into the multicultural, multilingual and multidisciplinary work environment at LIST and effectively communicate with LIST’s partners.

The RAC and its working groups are organised in a mix of remote and physical meetings. Hence, there should be willingness to travel.

Is Your profile described below? Are you our future colleague? Apply now!

Educational background and required seniority

• PhD in Toxicology, Life/Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry or equivalent.
• Being European Registered Toxicologist (ERT) is considered an asset
• At least 5 years of postdoctoral experience with the assessment of risks of substances to human health and/or the environment, ideally in the context of the European REACH and CLP regulations, gained in an RTO/academic environment, scientific/technical consulting, authorities, or industry

Technical skills

• Experience in hazard and risk assessment of chemicals
• Experience in the implementation of the EU chemicals or related legislation
• Specialised expertise in one or several of the key areas required by RAC such as human health risk assessment, occupational hygiene and workplace exposure assessment, risk management measures, regulatory toxicology, ecotoxicology and biodegradation, CLP criteria, Indirect exposure (humans via the environment); emissions to air, water, soil/sediment

Considered as an asset:

• Knowledge in sustainability assessment and safe and sustainable by design approaches of products and processes
• Experience in regulatory committees, public working groups, etc.
• Project management and RDI proposal writing skills (ideally for European RDI and policy implementation projects)

Language skills

• Excellent command both written and spoken English. Knowledge of French, German and/or Luxembourgish will be considered as an asset.

Your LIST benefits

• An organization with a passion for impact and strong RDI partnerships in Luxembourg and Europe that works on responsible and independent research projects
• Sustainable by design, empowering our belief that we play an essential role in paving the way to a green society
• Innovative infrastructures and exceptional labs occupying more than 5,000 square metres, including innovations such as our Viswall, high-scale incubators and top of the range 3D/4D printings that are part of our toolkit for excelling in all we do
• Multicultural and international work environment with more than 45 nationalities represented in our workforce
• Diverse and inclusive work environment empowering our people to fulfil their personal and professional ambitions
• Gender-friendly environment with multiple actions to attract, develop and retain women in science
• 32 days paid annual leave, 11 public holidays, flexible working hours, 13-month salary, statutory health insurance and access to lunch vouchers
• Personalized learning programme to foster our staff’s soft and technical skills
• An environment encouraging curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship in all areas

Apply online

https://www.list.lu/en/jobs/

Your application must include:

• A motivation letter oriented towards the position and detailing your experience
• A scientific CV
• Contact details of 2 references

Application procedure and conditions:

• LIST is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to hiring and retaining diverse personnel. We value all applicants and will consider all competent candidates for employment without regard to national origin, race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, religion, age or disability
• Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled
• An assessment committee will review the applications and select candidates based on guidelines that aim to ensure equal opportunities
• The main criteria for selection will be the correspondence of the existing skills and expertise of the applicant with the requirements mentioned above